At Osan Air Base in South Korea on Saturday, spectators at the annual air show watch a warplane make a series of high-performance maneuvers. U.S. and South Korean aircraft took part in the show, and other aircraft and military hardware were on display. (Franklin Fisher / Stars and Stripes)
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Osan’s two-day annual air show opened under sunny skies Saturday, with several thousand mostly Korean spectators turning their eyes skyward for a series of high-performance flying stunts that delighted youngsters and adults alike.
Both U.S. and South Korean warplanes took part, roaring through their repertoire of climbs, loops and dives.
When an F-16 fighter jet executed a precision roll, the rapt crowd reacted with: "Oooohhhh."
Parents pointed skyward to help their children track the fast-changing maneuvers that ran the precision-flying gamut from the "Cuban 8" and the "four-point roll" to the "knife-edge pass," the "high-speed pass," the "slow-speed pass" and the "high-G turn."
It was a crisp, sometimes windy day and families turned out in jeans and fall jackets.
Among the planes in the air Saturday was a large black U-2 reconnaissance aircraft that rose from the runway with a great noise and climbed so high so quickly that it was only moments before it was gone from view.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane showed off its speed and agility in attacking ground targets and evading enemy fire.
But if the spectators were eager to see the aerial demonstrations, it was the long row of blue-topped food tents that ran a close second as the day’s big crowd pleaser.
On offer were such air show standards as hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken kabobs, pork barbecue, caramel apples and cotton candy. Some families laid down mats they’d brought with them and sat on the tarmac eating.
Also on display Saturday were a variety of U.S. and South Korean fixed-wing planes and helicopters, several U.S. Army Patriot missile launchers, and other military hardware.
One of the biggest draws seemed to be a UH-60 Black Hawk of the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade from K-16 Air Base in Seoul.
For hours, families lined up five, 10 and more at a time to have their toddlers seated in the cockpit.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Herlt stood by and helped each child in, greeting them with a smile and motioning for them to put on a big flight helmet. With Company C, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, Herlt said he enjoyed the crowds and found visitors friendly and polite.
"A lot of ‘Please,’ and lot of ‘Thank you.’…A lot of appreciation for putting the kids in the cockpit," Herlt said.
This year’s show, officially called Air Power Day 2008, is tied to the 60th anniversaries of Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing, and of the South Korean armed forces.
The show is to continue Sunday.
At Osan Air Base in South Korea on Saturday, spectators at the annual air show watch a warplane make a series of high-performance maneuvers. U.S. and South Korean aircraft took part in the show, and other aircraft and military hardware were on display. (Franklin Fisher / Stars and Stripes)
A Korean girl gets to sit in the cockpit of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Placing a flight helmet on her head is Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Herlt, a Black Hawk pilot of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, at K-16 Air Base. (Franklin Fisher / Stars and Stripes)
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Herlt gives a toddler a look inside the cockpit of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, one of many aircraft and other pieces of military hardware on display. (Franklin Fisher / Stars and Stripes)
A toddler gets a grown-up boost so she can touch the rotor blade of a U.S. Army helicopter. (Franklin Fisher / Stars and Stripes)
Korean spectators eye ammunition of the type fired by the GAU-8 30 mm gun system, seen at right, part of a display of the U.S. Air Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane, seen in the background. (Franklin Fisher / Stars and Stripes)
